


Childfree

by SmokeysWife



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:07:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23281480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmokeysWife/pseuds/SmokeysWife
Summary: Hermione put the plates down by the sink and gripped the countertop, her back to her husband as she waited for the words she knew were coming.‘I want kids, Mione.’She bit her lip, her heart in her mouth as she turned to look at him.‘I don’t,’ she said, her voice quiet. He looked at her for a moment, his eyes full of sadness.‘I know,’ he said, eventually. ‘And I used to think that I could live with that. But I can’t. Not anymore.’After breaking up with Ron, Hermione finds herself back at Hogwarts as Charms professor. Can an old friend get her back on track?
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Neville Longbottom, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Parvati Patil/Blaise Zabini
Comments: 6
Kudos: 87





	Childfree

**Author's Note:**

> The wonderful, and indeed magical, world of Harry Potter and all its characters belong to JK Rowling. I'm just playing in her sandpit:)

Hermione stared at the sheet of parchment on the desk in front of her.

‘Mione?’

She turned at the sound of her husband’s voice and smiled weakly.

‘I got the job,’ she said, lifting the paper vaguely.

‘Blimey, Hermione, you don’t look too happy about it,’ Ron said, coming to give her a hug as he reached across her and took the parchment from her hands.

‘I am, it’s everything I’ve been working towards. But… I don’t know, Ron, do you ever get the feeling like maybe you’re doing stuff for the wrong reasons?’

Hermione sighed in frustration at his blank look and pushed herself away from him, moving over to the fireplace where she started pacing backward and forward.

‘It’s just like, all my life I’ve been trying to meet other people’s expectations. I always felt like I needed to be top, get straights O’s because that’s what my parents would expect of me. And then I needed to go as high as I could in the Ministry to make a difference, because that’s what Hermione Granger, war hero should do. It would be a waste of my influence if I didn’t do something.’

She looked back at her husband, and stopped pacing, slumping back onto the chair.

‘But I don’t know if that’s what I want for myself,’ she said into her hands.

‘What do you want?’ Ron asked, bewildered.

‘I don’t know!’ Hermione cried. She sighed, ‘But if I take this job, then I won’t have time for anything that I enjoy doing. It will consume me, Ron. I want time for more than that, for us.’

Ron tentatively put another arm around her shoulders and gave them a squeeze.

‘I want that too,’ he said, dropping a kiss onto her hair. ‘Sleep on it, love. Whatever it is, I know you’ll make it work.’

‘I stopped into Hogwarts to speak to Minerva today,’ Hermione said, a couple of days later. Ron looked up, raising his eyebrows in inquiry as he hastily chewed his mouthful of pasta.

‘They’re looking for a new Charms professor now Flitwick is retiring,’ she continued. She looked at her husband, wondering if that had sunk in, but Ron just shrugged and shovelled another forkful of pasta into his mouth.

‘Minerva offered me the role.’

Ron spluttered, coughing frantically as he choked on the food he was eating. Hermione grimaced as it flew across the table, but stood up and gave him a sharp smack on the back.

‘Ron? Are you okay?’

He waved her away, wiping his eyes as he took a mouthful of butterbeer.

‘Sorry, Mione,’ he said, chortling. ‘Charms professor? Minerva really doesn’t give up does she?’

He looked at his wife and noticed that she wasn’t laughing along with him.

‘You want to take it, don’t you?’ he said, frowning.

‘I’m thinking about it,’ she said. ‘I’ve always liked the idea of teaching, and it’s got a much better work-life balance.’

‘It’s on the other side of the country!’

‘There’s the floo. Minerva is happy for you to live at Hogwarts too. Or I can live here and floo in.’

‘But… But there’s study sessions, detentions. You’ll be working late and at weekends a lot. What about when—’

He broke off quickly, but Hermione looked at him sharply.

‘When what?’

‘Well, we’re both in our thirties now, Mione,’ Ron shifted uncomfortably.

‘Ron,’ she began, tiredly, rubbing her eyes. ‘I thought we’d talked about this.’

‘Maybe I want to talk about it again,’ he said defiantly, his ears starting to go red. She shook her head, and stood to clear the table. He turned to watch her.

‘I know we talked about this before we got married, but we were only twenty-five. A lot has changed since then. I… I’ve changed.’

Hermione put the plates down by the sink and gripped the countertop, her back to her husband as she waited for the words she knew were coming.

‘I want kids, Mione.’

She bit her lip, her heart in her mouth as she turned to look at her him.

‘I don’t,’ she said, her voice quiet. He looked at her for a moment, his eyes full of sadness.

‘I know,’ he said, eventually. ‘And I used to think that I could live with that. But I can’t. Not anymore.’

‘Ron…’ She reached out for him, but he brushed her away, and stood up.

‘I’m… I’m sorry. I’m going to stay at Harry and Ginny’s for a couple of nights. Perhaps… Perhaps the Hogwarts job is the right thing for you right now.’

She watched as the man she loved walked out of the room. She sank down into the chair he had just vacated as the flash of the floo sounded, and buried her head in her hands as the tears spilled over.

‘And these will be your quarters,’ Professor McGonagall said, as she opened the door to the room. ‘The private chambers are behind the portrait on that wall. The password is _sugared quills_.’

Hermione smiled affectionately at her old Head of House.

‘Thank you, Minerva.’

‘Your belongings arrived before you did. I’ll let you have some time to yourself to unpack and freshen up. Come on down to the staff room when you’re ready and I’ll introduce you to the rest of the staff.’

Hermione nodded, watching as Minerva walked out the door, closing it behind her. Taking a deep breath, she walked towards the portrait.

‘Sugared quills,’ she said, to the austere gentleman depicted there. The man inclined his head to her and the large painting swung inward. Stepping over the frame, she walked into the chamber beyond. It was a small but richly furnished sitting room, with a sofa and wing-backed arm chair. A fire crackled in the fire place, and Hermione broke into a spontaneous smile as she noticed the book lined wall opposite.

Walking to the door on the far side of the room, she pushed on it gently, stepping into a large bed chamber with a four-poster bed, hung with red and gold. A door to the side opened into a small but functional en-suite and she let out a small huff of relief. She had not relished the thought of shared bathing facilities.

Her trunk and other belongings were sat under the window, along with her owl, Bathilda. She moved over, and opened the cage, digging in her pocket for an owl treat or two before opening the window to allow the bird out to the owlery.

Looking around her, she felt at peace for the first time in months. It was like coming home.

It was well over an hour later when Hermione knocked on the staff room door, feeling a bit like a first year all over again. Minerva opened the door with a smile.

‘Sorry, Hermione. I should have given you the password. It’s _mimbulus mimbletonia_ for future reference. It was Professor Longbottom’s turn to choose.’

‘Hermione!’ a familiar voice called, Hermione looked past the headmistress.

‘Neville,’ she said warmly, moving past the older woman to hug her friend. ‘It’s been too long. How are you?’

‘I’m well,’ he said with a grin, pulling back to look at her. ‘How are you? I haven’t seen you since…’

He broke off awkwardly, and Hermione felt her smile become strained.

‘It’s okay, Neville. I’m fine. We’re still friends,’ she added as Neville continued to look at her.

Neville blushed, and turned to the rest of the room.

‘Let me introduce you to everybody. You’ll remember Professors Sinistra and Vector of course. And Professor Patil.’

‘Parvati!’ Hermione cried, moving over to embrace the former Gryffindor warmly. ‘I didn’t realise you were teaching here as well.’

‘I started last term,’ Parvati said shyly as she returned the hug. ‘I took over from Trelawney when she retired.’

‘Professor Lovage took over Muggle Studies after the War,’ Neville continued when the two women had finished embracing. Hermione smiled politely and shook the hand of the middle-aged wizard in front of her. ‘And Professor Zabini took over Potions when Slughorn retired a few years back. He’s also Head of Slytherin.’

‘Nice to see you again, Blaise,’ Hermione said with as much sincerity as she could muster. She was aware the Zabinis had stayed mostly neutral in the War, eventually coming out as against Voldemort during the battle for Hogwarts, but she still remembered Blaise as the arrogant boy from the Slugclub.

‘Likewise, Granger.’

She opened her mouth to inform him it was Weasley now, when she realised that wasn’t the case any longer. He looked at her oddly, and she smiled awkwardly to cover her confusion.

‘Hermione is fine,’ she said. She turned back to Neville.

‘Who are the other Heads of Houses?’

‘Well, Professor Lovage is Head of Hufflepuff, Professor Vector is Head of Ravenclaw, now Filius has left, and well, Minerva asked me to take on Gryffindor this year,’ Neville replied, blushing furiously.

‘Neville, that’s fantastic. Congratulations!’ Hermione said.

‘Thanks,’ Neville said. ‘I thought it would be Parvati, but…’

‘Pish!’ Parvati said. ‘You’ve been here longer, Neville. And besides, you’ll be much better at keeping the students under control than I will.’

‘You’ll be great at it Neville,’ Hermione beamed. ‘Who’s taken over Care of Magical Creatures since Hagrid moved to France?’

‘Minerva’s in negotiations,’ Neville said, not meeting her gaze. He seemed eager to change the subject. ‘Madam Hooch is down seeing to the quidditch pitch at the moment, and Madam Pomfrey is up in the hospital wing, ensuring she has enough potions in stock for the first week of term. I think that covers just about everyone.’

‘Don’t forget Macmillan,’ Blaise added, with a roll of his eyes. Neville shot him an amused look.

‘Ah yes, how could I? Ernie took over from Professor Binns when Minerva finally convinced him to move on.’

‘And the History of Magic lessons now have even less life in them than they did previously,’ Blaise said. Hermione bit her lip to suppress a smile as she brought to mind the pompous Hufflepuff. Parvati stifled a giggle behind her and she could see even Professor McGonagall’s lips twitch.

‘Now that you’re fully introduced to the staff, Hermione, I suggest we go down to dinner,’ she said. ‘We may as well enjoy our last dinner together before the students return.’

There was a general murmur of approval from the staff and they filed out the door and down to the great hall.

‘I can’t believe you got _Slughorn_ to do the Macarena!’ Hermione giggled. She was sat in Parvati’s quarters, with Neville and Blaise, drinking elf-made wine and catching up on old times.

‘What on Earth is the… What did you call it… Macarena?’ Blaise said, looking confused.

‘It’s a muggle dance,’ Neville explained. ‘It was actually Hermione who introduced me to it. Her and Ron played it at their wed—’

He broke off, and Hermione saw that all three of them were looking at her. Parvati and Neville with sympathy, Blaise with curiosity.

‘You’re allowed to mention him you know,’ she said gently. ‘It’s not like he died. We… We just broke up.’

Blaise raised an eyebrow.

‘I’m guessing this is recent?’ he said. Parvati glared at him, but Hermione smiled and shook her head, signalling to her friend it was okay.

‘June,’ she said. Blaise nodded, before turning to Neville.

‘You know the Care of Magical Creatures position got filled today?’ he asked. Neville shifted uncomfortably.

‘Oooh, who got it?’ Hermione asked, keen for the change in subject.

‘Charlie Weasley,’ Blaise said, watching her carefully.

‘Oh,’ she said, aware that a blush was spreading over her cheeks. She smiled tightly, ‘Well that’s nice. I’ve always liked Charlie. How did Minerva convince him to leave Romania?’

‘Apparently, she told him his risk of burns and severed limbs would be greatly reduced,’ Blaise said, dryly.

Neville snorted. ‘She does remember the Blast-Ended Skrewts?’

Parvati shivered theatrically. ‘How could she forget?’

Hermione downed the rest of her wine.

‘Well, I think I’ll head to bed. It’s a school night, after all,’ she said with a wry grin. Neville stood up with her.

‘I think I’ll do the same. I’ll leave you two to it,’ he said with a pointed look at Parvati, who blushed.

‘’Night, guys,’ Hermione said, smiling at Neville as he ushered her out of the portrait hole and into the study.

‘Are they…?’ she asked, after the portrait had swung shut behind them.

‘Not yet,’ Neville said, with a small smile. ‘’Night, Hermione.’

‘Goodnight, Neville.’

Charlie arrived the following morning. Hermione hadn’t been in touch with any of the Weasleys except Ginny since the night Ron had walked out three months ago, and while Ginny had assured her that the Weasley family bore her no ill will, she couldn’t help but think that her relationship with all of them would never be the same. Summoning her inner Gryffindor, she had decided to confront her fear head on and went down to the hut that had been Hagrid’s early that afternoon.

Taking a deep breath, she knocked loudly on the door.

‘Mia!’

She couldn’t help smiling in response to the grin on Charlie Weasley’s face as he pulled her into a bear hug.

‘I was wondering when you’d be coming to see me,’ he said as he pulled back to look at her. ‘I didn’t hope for a visit quite this soon though!’

‘It’s good to see you, Charlie,’ she said. ‘How are you?’

He stepped aside, and gestured for her to come in.

‘I’m well,’ he said, summoning a tea pot and two mugs from the counter, before pouring them both a cup of tea. ‘Milk, no sugar if memory serves?’

He settled back and looked at the witch opposite him.

‘The question is, Mia, how are you?’

She smiled at the use of the pet name, used only by Charlie and George, her two favourites of Ron’s siblings.

‘I’m okay,’ she said, with a sad smile. ‘How’s Ron? Have you seen him?’

‘He’s okay. Doing about as well as you I reckon,’ he said, watching her closely.

‘I’m glad,’ she said.

‘No one blames you, Mia. You know that?’

‘I think so,’ she said. She hesitated, but this was Charlie. ‘There are times, when I blame me.’

‘You shouldn’t,’ he said. ‘You can’t pretend to want kids, any more than Ron could continue pretending he didn’t. Sooner or later one of you would end up resenting the other. I’m sorry he couldn’t have been honest with himself sooner.’

She shrugged.

‘Sometimes I think that, but the time we had together was good. I wouldn’t change it.’

She took a sip of her tea, and sat back.

‘So,’ she said. ‘I hear Minerva told you that this job was free from burns and amputations. What has Ron told you about the Blast-Ended Skrewts?’

Hermione felt a lot lighter as she walked back up to the castle a couple of hours later to get ready for the Sorting, a smile on her face as she washed her hair and carefully selected her robes for the feast. She felt a flutter of nerves as she carefully descended the stairs down to the Great Hall, moving through the great chamber to take her place at the teacher’s table next to Neville who smiled at her reassuringly.

‘Twenty years since our sorting, Hermione! Can you believe it?’ Parvati asked, a couple of chairs down. Hermione looked at her in surprise. The fact hadn’t even occurred to her, but it was her 32nd birthday later that month.

‘No need to remind us all of our impending middle-age, Patil,’ Blaise said with a groan as he took the vacant chair between them. Hermione saw him wink at Parvati and a pretty blush spread across the witch’s cheeks.

There was a chuckle as a shadow fell across them, and Hermione looked up to see Charlie standing over them, grinning broadly.

‘You wait until you’re approaching forty, then you’ll know what impending middle-age feels like!’ He extended his hand to first Parvati, then Neville and finally Blaise.

‘I’m Charlie Weasley, the new Care of Magical Creatures professor. And after a very graphic warning from Hermione this afternoon, I can assure you Magical Creatures will not include Blast Ended Skrewts.’

Blaise accepted his hand with a smirk.

‘Pleased to hear it. Blaise Zabini, Potions professor and Head of Slytherin.’

Charlie nodded pleasantly and turned towards Hermione.

‘You know the first of Percy’s brood is being Sorted tonight?’

‘Bridget?’ Hermione asked with a smile. She recalled the slightly shy, bookish child, so like her mother, and wondered if there might finally be a Weasley not placed in Gryffindor.

‘I think Percy is secretly hoping she ends up in Ravenclaw like her mother. Gryffindor isn’t always the kindest house to bookworms,’ Charlie said.

‘I enjoyed it,’ Hermione said, although she found herself wondering if she was being completely honest. The first couple of months at Hogwarts had definitely been lonely.

‘Of course you did!’ Parvati said, with a frown at Charlie. He simply winked and walked to his seat further down the table. Hermione turned to find Blaise watching her, and felt her cheeks colour slightly. She raised her eyebrows enquiringly.

‘I was just wondering if all Gryffindors were as good at lying as you are?’ he said, so softly that Parvati wouldn’t be able to overhear them. She met his eyes, and saw something akin to empathy. He gave a wry smile.

‘If it’s any consolation, Slytherin wasn’t too kind on bookworms either.’

She opened her mouth to retort, but at that moment the last of the Professors came onto the platform and the students started filing into the hall. After a moment’s recollection, she wasn’t sorry. Some things were better left buried.

‘Percy got his secret wish,’ Charlie murmured as he joined her walking out of the hall a few hours later. She turned to him, smiling.

‘I’m sure she’ll do very well in Ravenclaw, but she’d have done equally well in Gryffindor. How do you think her grandmother will take the news though?’

Charlie shrugged. ‘As long as it’s not Slytherin.’

‘Oi, I heard that, Weasley,’ Blaise said, coming up behind them.

‘It’s Professor Weasley to you, Zabini,’ Charlie said, although he laughed to show he was joking.

‘I’m guessing that means you won’t be interested in the bottle of Firewhisky in my office? How about you, Hermione? Fancy joining us for a night cap.’

Hermione hesitated for a moment, but it was only half past nine.

‘Just one, Blaise. It is a school night after all.’ She turned to Charlie with a smile. ‘Are you coming?’

Charlie shrugged.

‘Why not?’

Hermione woke up early the next day, her mind going from nought to sixty in a matter of seconds as a well of anxiety filled her chest at the thought of her first class. She took her time getting ready, carefully pulling her hair into the closest approximation of a braid it ever reached, and ensuring her robes were free from wrinkles.

‘I think you now know why you should never drink with a Slytherin,’ she said as she sat down next to Charlie with a grin at the teacher’s table in the Great Hall. He groaned, and poured himself more orange juice.

‘Boy, Zabini can drink.’

‘I’ll take that as a compliment, Weasley,’ Blaise said, looking refreshed and cheerful as he sat down by them. He handed Charlie a small vial. ‘Hangover potion. It will clear your head up in no time.’

Charlie took the vial gratefully and downed the contents in one mouthful. He pulled a face at the taste but looked immediately cheerier as he reached forward and helped himself to bacon. Hermione served herself a ladle of porridge.

‘So, what did you two talk about after the rest of us went to bed?’

‘Oh, this and that. Charlie has an impressive knowledge of the school’s secret passageways.’

‘You didn’t think Fred and George were the only rulebreakers in the family did you?’ Charlie said with a grin.

‘Not in the slightest,’ Hermione replied. ‘It’s why you’ve always been one of my favourites.’

Zabini feigned shock as Charlie’s cheeks coloured.

‘The perfect prefect Granger, did not just disclose a fondness for rule-breakers!’

‘Oh, hush and have some breakfast,’ Hermione said, nudging him with her elbow.

Hermione sank down onto the sofa twelve hours later in her favourite pyjama bottoms and Ron’s old quidditch shirt. A pot of tea was brewing on the coffee table, a box of Honeyduke’s finest chocolates next to it. She leaned back in satisfaction as she waved her wand, before leaving it hanging magically beside her. A stream of light shot from it, and she smiled as the opening credits of ‘When Harry Met Sally’ started.

‘Ahem.’

She turned at the sound of the portrait behind her clearing its throat.

‘You have a visitor,’ it said.

She suppressed a sigh, muttered a spell to stop the projection and pushed herself to her feet. Moving to the portrait, she nodded for it to open.

‘Neville,’ she said with a smile.

‘Sorry to disturb you,’ he said, his cheeks flushing slightly. ‘I… I just wanted to see how your first day went. I didn’t get much chance to talk to you at dinner.’

‘Not at all,’ she said. ‘I was just about to watch a film. Do you want to come in?’

‘Film?’ Neville asked, stepping over the threshold into her living room.

‘It’s a muggle thing. The closest we have to wizard photography,’ she said with a grin. ‘I have some stored on my wand.’

She reached for her wand and conjured a second tea cup. ‘Would you like some tea?’

Neville sat down on the arm chair and gratefully accepted a cup, stirring in a couple of lumps of sugar. He looked around him.

‘I always thought Flitwick had some of the best chambers in the castle,’ he said.

‘You should see the view from the bedroom,’ Hermione said. Neville raised an eyebrow, his cheeks pink, and she felt her own cheeks flush.

‘Not like that!’ she said, mock-frowning at him as she sat back down. She passed him the chocolate box.

‘So how was your first day?’ he said, as he examined the menu on the lid. He carefully selected a chocolate and passed the box back to Hermione.

‘Exhausting!’ she said, taking a caramel and sitting back on the sofa. Neville chuckled.

‘It’ll get better. Did you have any problems?’

She shook her head. ‘I was a prefect while Fred and George were still in school, remember?’

Neville snorted. ‘James Potter could give the Weasley twins a run for their money.’

‘Hah! I doubt I’ll have any problems there. Ginny is even more formidable than Molly.’

Her smile faded a little. Neville watched her carefully.

‘Do… Do you want to talk about it?’ he asked.

Hermione looked at him, considering. After a moment, she shrugged.

‘There’s not much to tell,’ she said with a sad smile. ‘I… I’ve never wanted kids. I think Ron always did, but he thought if he went along with it, I’d change my mind. Then, he realised that I wouldn’t.’

Neville nodded slowly.

‘I never could see you as a stay at home mum,’ he said after a long pause.

She snorted.

‘You need to be much better at household spells than I am for that.’

‘Hermione Granger, smartest witch of her age, finally met a spell she couldn’t master?’

She grinned.

‘For some reason cooking and cleaning spells always alluded me.’

‘So why Hogwarts?’ Neville asked, curious. She shrugged again.

‘I wanted to make a difference. I thought I could do that at the Ministry, but I realised I’d be sacrificing too much of myself at the same time. Besides, just because I don’t want children of my own, doesn’t mean I don’t want to help inspire the next generation.’

Neville smiled at that.

‘I know what you mean. And I have to tell you, teaching is only going to solidify your decision not to have kids.’

Hermione raised her eyebrows at him, and he blushed.

‘So, what’s a film?’

‘I’ll show you,’ she said, with a soft smile, reaching for her wand.

The next few weeks passed in a blur of lessons, lesson planning and study sessions. It didn’t take long for Hermione to fall back into life at Hogwarts and as the weeks turned into months, she found a sense of peace that she hadn’t felt in a long time.

‘Mum wanted to know if you were coming to the Burrow for Christmas,’ Charlie said, as they walked through the crisp frost that covered the grass by the edge of the forest. Hermione glanced sideways at him.

‘I… I don’t think I can. I’m sorry, Charlie.’

He nodded in understanding.

‘You’ll be staying here?’

‘I won’t be alone,’ she said with a smile. ‘Parvati and Blaise are spending Christmas with her family, but Neville is staying in Hogwarts. I said I’d go with him to St Mungo’s.’

Neville’s grandmother had passed earlier that year. Hermione knew that he couldn’t face the memories of Christmas at home.

‘What’s wrong?’ she asked, looking at Charlie in concern as she noticed the small frown that appeared on his brow. He shook his head, and the frown vanished.

‘Nothing, Mia,’ he said, slinging an arm around her shoulders and giving her a squeeze. He sighed dramatically. ‘I just can’t believe Ron had to get us in the divorce. Do you think if we appealed, you might win custody?’

She pushed him playfully, her lips curling in a smile.

‘Charlie!’

He winked at her, and released her shoulders.

‘It won’t be Christmas without you, Mia,’ he said sadly. She didn’t know what to say, and the two walked the rest of the way back to Charlie’s hut in silence.

Hermione woke up to the sound of rain lashing against the window, an odd weight on her feet. At first her thoughts went to Crookshanks, but as the clouds of sleep dissipated she remembered that her beloved half-kneazle had passed. A momentary sadness washed over her, but was quickly replaced by curiosity as she realised what day it was. She shifted slightly and sat up reaching beside her for her wand.

‘Lumos,’ she murmured, with a yawn, and looked down at the pile of presents at the foot of the bed. She rubbed her eyes sleepily, and reached down to the pile. She smiled softly as she picked up a large, soft package, blinking back the sudden moisture in her eyes as she opened it to reveal the traditional Weasley jumper wrapped around a selection of her favourites of Molly’s home bakes. She knew the Weasley matriarch was sending her a message and she smiled as she pulled on the jumper.

She moved onto a small package beside it and opened it to find a delicate, silver, dragon pendant, its miniature wings flapping.

‘That’s too much, Charlie,’ she muttered, although her lips curled upwards again. She put the pendant on her bedside table and reached for another package. She worked her way through the pile, which contained the usual selection of books, chocolates and bubble bath before only one package remained, looking suspiciously book shaped. She smiled as she read the label and saw it was from Neville. Carefully untying the ribbon, she tore at the paper gasping as she saw the first edition of Persuasion, her favourite Austen. A grin suffused her face and she swung herself out of bed, humming merrily as she walked into the en-suite. It wasn’t until she was half way through her shower that she realised Ron hadn’t sent anything.

‘Merry Christmas, Hermione,’ Neville said, with a grin as she joined him at the breakfast table. She swooped down on him and gave him a massive hug, kissing him on the cheek before she pulled back.

‘Thank you,’ she grinned. ‘And happy Christmas!’

‘You’re welcome,’ Neville said, his cheeks glowing. ‘Thank you for the cuttings. Where did you manage to get hold of Knight’s Whorl? It only grows on the foothills of Kilimanjaro.’

‘I called in a favour,’ Hermione said with a grin. ‘I know you’ve been trying to get hold of some to complete your collection in Greenhouse Four.’

Neville smiled, and looked down at his breakfast as Hermione helped herself to pancakes.

‘So what time would you like to head over to St Mungo’s?’ she asked.

‘Visiting hours start at 10:00. We can floo over after breakfast?’

‘Sounds good,’ she said.

‘Are you okay?’ Hermione asked several hours later, as they stepped out of the fireplace and into Neville’s quarters. Neville moved over to the sofa and sat down heavily. She waved her wand and summoned a bottle of wine and two glasses as she sat down next to him. Opening the wine, she poured two large glasses, handing one to Neville before leaning back next to him. Neville took a large gulp and then another.

‘Neville?’ she asked tentatively, squeezing his hand gently. He looked at her and wiped his hand across his eyes.

‘I’m sorry, Mia,’ he said. ‘It’s always hard, but this year…’

His voice trailed off, and Hermione knew he was thinking about his grandmother. She kept her hand in his and rested her head against his shoulder as she took a sip of her wine.

‘You called me Mia,’ she said after several minutes had passed, smiling softly.

‘Well I know you don’t like ‘Mione,’ he replied looking down at her. ‘Hermione always seemed so formal, but when I heard Charlie call you Mia, it just seemed to fit on you. You… You don’t mind?’

‘Not at all,’ she said with a smile. Her smile faded. ‘I’m sorry about Augusta, Neville. She was a great woman, it must be hard.’

‘She always liked you, you know. You should have heard her talk about the great Hermione Granger.’

‘I hope after the battle she also spoke about the great Neville Longbottom.’

‘She did,’ he said with a grin. ‘I’m glad I got a chance to make her proud.’

‘She was proud anyway, Neville. The great Hermione Granger would have found Hogwarts a lot harder were it not for the brilliant Neville Longbottom.’

Neville looked down at her and frowned.

‘What Charlie said, during the Sorting…?’

She shrugged.

‘I think you experienced the same Gryffindor I did. I love our house, and I loved being at Hogwarts, but there were times when I felt very alone.’

He nodded, looking pensive. She smiled up at him.

‘I always had you though.’

A light flush spread across his cheeks, and he took a large gulp of wine.

‘What about Harry?’ he asked.

She looked down taking another sip of wine.

‘Not always,’ she said after a moment. ‘He always tried not to choose sides, but I always knew, if push came to shove, he’d side with Ron.’

‘You never told me that before,’ Neville said frowning. She shrugged, not looking at him.

‘He didn’t send me anything,’ she said.

‘Who?’ Neville said, frowning in confusion.

‘Ron. He didn’t send me anything for Christmas, not even a card. I know it shouldn’t bother me, but it does.’

Neville pursed his lips and Hermione sat up to look at him.

‘What?’ she asked, frowning.

‘He’s a prat, Mia. Always has been,’ he said. Hermione’s eyes widened in shock. ‘I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.’

‘No, it’s okay,’ Hermione said. She smiled weakly. ‘He can be a bit of a prat at times.’

She sat up and reached for her wand.

‘How about a Christmas movie?’

Neville smiled.

‘I’d like that.’

‘So how was Christmas?’ Charlie asked, as he handed her a mug of tea. Hermione took it with a murmur of thanks and settled back into the comfy armchair. Over the months, she had gotten used to the feel of the hut without Hagrid, but moments like this she half expected him to walk in through the door.

‘It was good,’ she replied with a grin. ‘Thank you so much for the pendant, by the way. It’s gorgeous. You shouldn’t have.’

‘I’ll be the judge of that,’ he replied, settling back in his own seat. ‘Thank you for the book. It should come in handy with the NEWT class I’m taking.’

‘So, how was Christmas at the Burrow? Molly sent me a lovely care package.’

‘She misses you, Mia. We all do.’

Hermione smiled tightly and sipped her tea.

‘What is it?’ Charlie asked with a frown.

‘Nothing.’

Charlie looked at her until she shifted uncomfortably.

‘It’s Ron, isn’t it?’

‘It’s nothing, I’m just being silly. It’s just… I thought he might have sent something you know? A card or something.’ She looked out the window, taking another sip of tea. It was Charlie’s turn to shift awkwardly in his chair. She turned to look back at him.

‘You think I’m being silly?’

‘What? No! Ron’s a git. It’s just… I think I might know why you haven’t heard from him.’ Charlie took a large swallow of tea, looking like he wished it was stronger. ‘Ron met someone.’

‘Oh,’ Hermione said softly. ‘I… Good for him, I guess.’

She turned away again, blinking the moisture from her eyes. Charlie watched her carefully, before putting his mug down on the table. Moving over to her seat, he knelt beside her and wrapped his arms around her. She stiffened and then turned. Hugging him back she buried her head into his shoulder and sobbed.

‘So, do you know who it is?’

‘Who what is?’ Charlie asked in confusion as the two walked back to the castle some time later.

‘Ron’s new girl. Do you know who she is?’

‘Sure, she was at the Burrow for Christmas,’ Charlie said. Hermione stopped, and he cursed at his stupidity.

‘She was at the Burrow?’ Hermione asked. She took a deep breath and continued walking towards the Great Hall. ‘What’s she like?’

‘Nice enough. I think you know her actually. Wasn’t Hannah Abbott in your year?’

‘Hannah?’ Hermione raised her eyebrows in surprise. ‘I thought her and Neville…’

She shook her head. Neville hadn’t mentioned Hannah since school started and she hadn’t thought to ask him. She shook her head as she wondered briefly why, it wasn’t like her.

‘I think they’ll make a good pair,’ she said, thickly, realising Charlie was still watching her. Charlie placed a hand on her shoulder and turned her to face him.

‘She’s not a patch on you,’ he said, pulling her into a hug. Hermione smiled into his shoulder, blinking back the tears that had risen again.

‘Oh! Sorry, didn’t realise we were interrupting!’

The two broke away awkwardly, a blush suffusing Hermione’s cheeks as she saw Parvati, Blaise and Neville standing there. Blaise and Parvati were smirking knowingly, while Neville was looking at the floor, his ears red.

‘You’re not,’ Charlie said with a grin, although his gaze flickered quickly from Neville to Hermione, who was looking mortified, before settling on Parvati. ‘I was just giving our little bookworm here a hug.’

He did a mock bow and gestured towards the Great Hall.

‘Shall we go through to dinner ladies and gentlemen?’

‘Neville?’ Hermione asked tentatively from the door of Greenhouse 4. The wizard working in the centre glanced up briefly, before continuing to pack compost around the saplings in front of him.

‘Oh, hi, Hermione. What’s up?’

‘Nothing much,’ she said, moving into the greenhouse. ‘I… I just wanted to check you were okay. You disappeared pretty quickly after dinner and I’ve barely seen you over the past week.’

‘I’m fine,’ he said with a sad smile. ‘I just needed to get these re-potted tonight.’

She walked over to the table.

‘Are those the cuttings I got you?’ she asked in amazement. ‘They’ve grown so much.’

‘They were good cuttings,’ he said, the smile more genuine this time. ‘I didn’t think I’d need to re-pot them until the end of January.’

‘I’m glad,’ Hermione said distractedly, as she ran a finger tentatively over a leaf. She looked up at her friend.

‘Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t seeing Hannah anymore?’ she asked. He looked up at her in surprise, before flushing and looking down at the plants again.

‘I thought you’d figure it out. It’s not like she’s been around since the school year started.’ His ears went redder as Hermione continued looking at him. He met her gaze.

‘Honestly, Mia, it just never came up. It’s not like we were ever serious, just a few dates. We broke up around the same time as you and Ron, and you had enough to deal with. By the time you seemed to be on the mend, it just didn’t seem important anymore.’

Hermione walked around the table and pulled him into a hug.

‘I’m sorry, Neville. I should have realised. I’ve been a pretty shitty friend.’

He patted her arm awkwardly, before realising that his hands were covered in dirt.

‘Oh! Sorry!’ he muttered, stepping backward and brushing Hermione’s arm clean with a rag.

‘Don’t beat yourself up about it, Mia. You realised it eventually,’ he said with a wink.

Hermione looked uncomfortable.

‘That’s just the thing. I didn’t.’

He looked at her, frowning.

‘Then how did you find out?’

‘Um… Charlie told me she’s dating Ron. It’s… it’s why I was upset the other day.’

‘Hannah is dating Ron?’ Neville blinked.

Hermione nodded.

‘According to Charlie, she was at the Burrow over Christmas.’

Neville raised his eyebrows in surprise.

‘It’s that serious? No wonder you were upset.’

‘Are you?’ Hermione asked, watching him carefully.

Neville shrugged.

‘Not particularly. As I say, it was only a brief dalliance.’ He glanced at Hermione. ‘It’s not like we were married.’

Hermione leant against the bench.

‘The odd thing is, it wasn’t so much about Ron moving on. It was more… more like I’m losing my family. The Weasleys, they’re all the family I had left after the war.’

Neville wiped his hands on a cloth and moved to lean next to her.

‘I had thought, you and Charlie…’ he began, looking at the far wall of the greenhouse. Hermione looked at him in surprise and then chuckled.

‘Charlie? Neville, Charlie is like a brother to me. He and George were always my favourites of the Weasley clan.’ She shook her head. ‘I haven’t seen George in months, but he still writes.’

He nodded, still staring ahead.

‘You have me too, you know,’ he said.

He felt her hair brush against him as she turned to look at him.

‘Neville?’ she asked tentatively. He looked at her smiling softly, his cheeks blazing.

‘You said the Weasleys were all the family you had left. You have me.’

‘I know,’ she said, her eyes travelling across his face. She felt a familiar warmth in her abdomen, and bit her lip. Turning back to face the greenhouse wall, she rested her head on his shoulder. ‘You’re a good friend, Neville.’

She missed the look of disappointment on Neville’s face; it was quickly followed by weary acceptance as he rested his head on hers.

‘Have you seen much of Neville lately?’ Hermione asked Parvati as they walked down to Hogsmeade with the students for the valentine’s trip. She glanced at her friend and saw that she was frowning.

‘Not as much as usual. He comes to talk to Blaise occasionally, but he’s been holed up in greenhouse four loads.’

Hermione nodded sadly.

‘I haven’t seen much of him at all since I told him about Ron and Hannah. He said he was okay, but I guess it was more serious with her then he let on.’

‘You think he’s hung up on Hannah?’ Parvati asked carefully.

‘You think something else is wrong?’ Hermione asked, turning to the other witch in concern.

Parvati looked like she was going to say something, but simply shook her head and gestured for Hermione to keep walking.

‘Have you tried talking to him?’ Parvati asked after a few minutes.

‘Whenever I try to talk to him about it, he says he’s fine and then makes an excuse to leave a few minutes later.’

Parvati made a low noise, that sounded almost like a hiss of frustration.

‘What is it?’ Hermione asked.

‘What? Oh, I just realised I haven’t got a valentine’s card for Blaise yet. Let’s hurry up – we’re meant to be meeting the boys in an hour.’

Hermione frowned slightly, jogging a couple of steps to meet up with her now hurrying friend.

‘We need to do something about Longbottom,’ Blaise said as he sat down in the armchair opposite Charlie.

‘What about him?’ Charlie asked, pouring two healthy measures of firewhisky. He handed a glass to Blaise and picked up the second.

‘He’s been acting like a forlorn puppy lately. It’s driving me bonkers.’

‘And you think I can help?’

‘You know as well as I do that the reason is our resident bookworm.’

Charlie’s cheeks flushed.

‘I’m still not seeing the link, Zabini. How do you possibly think I can help?’

Blaise looked at him closely.

‘You like her too, don’t you?’ he asked, an eyebrow raised.

Charlie snorted. ‘Hermione’s like a sister to me, Blaise.’

‘Blush every time you see Mrs Potter, do you?’

Charlie downed his firewhisky and poured himself another measure.

‘I’m sorry mate, but it’s obvious to everyone you don’t stand a chance,’ Blaise said, his gaze sympathetic.

‘I know,’ Charlie said, sitting back dejectedly. He took another long swallow. ‘Probably for the best anyway. I can’t see the family being particularly supportive of me coming home with Ron’s ex.’

He chuckled softly as he took another sip. ‘I’d love to see the look on Ron’s face though.’

Blaise snorted in appreciation, and Charlie leaned forward to top up both their glasses.

‘You are right though. I’ve been trying my best to deny it, but anyone can see Mia is head over heels for Neville.’

‘Anyone except the wizard in question,’ Blaise said.

‘And possibly the witch.’

Blaise raised his eyebrows. ‘You don’t think she’s acknowledged her feelings yet?’

Charlie sat back again with a shrug.

‘I think she’s scared of getting hurt.’

‘By Neville?’ Blaise said, astonished.

‘Ron moved on too quickly. You know Neville and Hannah broke up around the same time? It doesn’t take a genius to connect the dots.’

Blaise let out a whoosh of air from between his teeth.

‘You think Ron and Hannah were doing the dirty?’

‘I think Hermione might suspect that the timelines overlapped.’

‘But she’s over him?’

‘I don’t think she’s in love with him anymore. But he was one of her best friends for almost twenty years. That’s got to sting.’

Blaise shook his head.

‘Your brother is a real prat.’ He looked across at Charlie. ‘No offence.’

Charlie shrugged.

‘I’ve called him much worse.’

‘Neville, this is an intervention.’

Neville looked up from where he was tending to the Knight’s Whorl to see Parvati, Blaise and Charlie walking into the greenhouse.

‘A… what?’

‘It’s a muggle thing, mate,’ Charlie said. ‘We held one for Ron a few years back when he _would not_ stop going on about Chudley Cannons winning the championship.’

Parvati sent the red-headed Weasley a glare, and looked at Neville with sympathetic eyes.

‘Neville we’re worried about you.’

‘You’re spending your whole time communing with plants,’ Blaise said. ‘It’s getting creepy.’

‘You need to stop hiding,’ Charlie said.

‘Leave the greenhouse,’ Parvati added.

‘And tell Granger how you feel about her,’ Blaise finished.

Neville looked from one to the other, his ears turning red.

‘I’m not hiding in the greenhouse,’ he said.

‘Neville you’ve been avoiding Hermione for almost two months. She’s worried about you,’ Charlie said, exasperated.

‘She thinks you’re upset about your break up with Hannah,’ Parvati added.

‘How… How could she think I was upset about Hannah, when I thought… I mean I made it clear…’ Neville’s voice trailed off.

‘You made it clear?’ Blaise asked, his eyebrow raised.

‘I told her she always had me. You know, like family.’

‘Like a brother?’ Parvati asked, incredulously.

Neville focused back on his plants, his cheeks glowing.

‘She made it clear she’s not interested.’

‘How exactly?’ Blaise asked, his voice amused. Neville looked up briefly to glare at him.

‘She said I was a really good friend.’

Blaise bit his lip and rolled his eyes at Charlie. Parvati glared at them both, and moved closer to the workbench.

‘Neville, Hermione likes you. She _really_ likes you.’

‘Then why…?’

‘She’s afraid of getting hurt.’

‘I would never hurt her!’ he said, looking outraged.

‘Not intentionally,’ Parvati said, gently. ‘But Ron was one of her best friends and he left her.’

She looked around at the wizards standing behind her for support.

‘She doesn’t want to get involved with someone else just to break up again over the kids thing,’ Blaise said.

‘But I don’t want kids.’

‘Then maybe you should tell her that,’ Charlie said.

‘Neville,’ Hermione exclaimed with a smile, her heart leaping as she saw the man standing in the door way.

‘Hi, Mia,’ Neville said, smiling awkwardly. ‘Can I come in?’

She stepped back to let him through the portrait hole.

‘Of course! I didn’t think you’d make it. You’ve been so caught up with work lately, we haven’t had a movie night in months. I always have the tea brewing just in case though.’

She stopped aware she was babbling. Neville lifted a bottle of wine in his right hand.

‘I thought perhaps something a little stronger as it’s a Friday?’

‘Sounds perfect, thank you,’ Hermione said, taking the bottle from him. She walked to place the bottle on the coffee table and conjured up a couple of glasses. ‘I thought we could start on the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Have you read the book?’

Neville shook his head, a smile playing on his lips, as he watched the witch bustle around him.

‘I think you’ll like it. It’s set in a world full of elves and dwarves, magic and kings. The ultimate battle of good versus evil.’

Neville moved over to the sofa and sat down, uncorking the wine with magic and pouring a healthy measure into each glass, hoping she didn’t notice the slight tremor in his hand as he did so. Hermione sat down beside him, tucking her hair behind her ear nervously.

‘It’s based on the world war actually,’ she said.

Neville shifted slightly so that he was facing her. Hermione’s breath caught at the look in his eyes.

‘What is it?’ she asked, her eyes playing over his face. Neville swallowed hard and took her hands in his.

‘It sounds great,’ he said, ‘but there’s something I want to talk to you about first.’

‘What is it, Neville?’ Hermione asked, her brow furrowing. She watched as his adam’s apple bobbed.

‘I don’t think I ever told you why Hannah and I didn’t work out,’ he began.

‘I didn’t want to pry,’ she said.

‘It wasn’t anything complicated,’ he said. ‘In fact, it was very similar to you and Ron. She wanted kids, and I… I don’t.’

‘You don’t?’ she asked, her chest contracting painfully.

‘I don’t,’ he repeated.

‘Oh.’

He swallowed again, and she could feel his hands trembling slightly in hers.

‘I… I know you said I was a good friend, but well… I wondered if maybe I could ever be more than that?’ he asked in a rush, his eyes on hers. Hermione felt her cheeks flush as her brain caught up with her ears. She removed a shaking hand from his and reached up to touch his cheek.

‘You already are,’ she said. Neville blinked.

‘R-Really?’ he asked. Hermione closed her eyes and summoned her courage, leaning forward to press her lips gently to his.

‘Really,’ she murmured, her mouth less than an inch from his. She felt him smile as he moved a hand to the nape of her neck and pull her lips back to his. He moved his other hand to her waist as the kiss deepened, pulling her against him. She moved so that she was straddling him, wanting to be as close as possible while Neville’s hands roamed over the skin of her back. After what seemed like both an eternity and no time at all he pulled back.

‘So,’ he said breathlessly, his cheeks flushed. ‘Lord of the Rings did you say?’

Hermione looked at him, a smirk on her lips as she shifted slightly, feeling him press hard against her.

‘Maybe later,’ she said, leaning down to claim his mouth once again.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading:)


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